321 LAUNCH, a new AR rocket launch app, is ready for historic blastoff from Space Coast

Using augmented reality, the 321 LAUNCH app will transform the way you watch live rocket launches.

Chances are you know augmented reality, even if you don’t know you know it.

If you’ve ever watched an NFL football game on TV or used a GPS with live photo imaging overlaid by a road map, you’ve seen augmented reality. But until now, AR has never been used like what you are about to see from us.

USA TODAY and FLORIDA TODAY are preparing to release the first-of-its-kind rocket launch app using AR technology. Release in the App Store is scheduled for noon to 4 p.m. Thursday, March 29, and after 2 p.m. that day in Google Play, just ahead of the April 2 SpaceX launch. The app will be available as a free download in the App Store and Google Play — meaning it's compatible for iPhone and Android.

What sets this app apart from anything else is the interactivity of the app and the ability of the user to take action.

Our app, called 321 LAUNCH, works in sync with actual launches, such as the April 2 SpaceX launch, at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, to give users a close-up view of a real launch and landing. It integrates live video and real-time updates and analysis from FLORIDA TODAY’s space team — James Dean and Emre Kelly — as well as links to space news and launch schedules. Additional rockets will be added.

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FLORIDA TODAY space reporter Emre Kelly gives his colleagues, Jennifer Sangalang and Rob Landers, a close-up look of a rocket on the pad in the 321 LAUNCH app, which will be released at noon March 29, 2018.
Bob Gabordi/FLORIDA TODAY

Using AR technology, the 321 LAUNCH app lets the user "launch" an animated SpaceX rocket in
a creative way. Shown is an astronaut mural in the Eau Gallie Arts District in Melbourne.
JENNIFER SANGALANG/FLORIDA TODAY

Using AR tech, the 321 LAUNCH app lets the user "launch" an animated SpaceX rocket in
a creative way. Shown is an EGAD character mural (with a SpaceX rocket by its hand) in the Eau Gallie Arts District in Melbourne.
JENNIFER SANGALANG/FLORIDA TODAY

Lunch time, er, launch time. Using AR technology, the 321 LAUNCH app lets the user "launch" an animated SpaceX rocket in
a creative way. Shown is a shark mural in the Eau Gallie Arts District in Melbourne.
JENNIFER SANGALANG/FLORIDA TODAY

321 LAUNCH, an AR app presented by USA TODAY and FLORIDA TODAY, launches into the App and Google Play stores March 29, 2018. In the background? A neighbor's home with the Air Force Thunderbirds in the sky at the 2018 Melbourne Air and Space Show.
FLORIDA TODAY

321 LAUNCH, an AR app presented by USA TODAY and FLORIDA TODAY, launches into the App and Google Play stores March 29, 2018. In the background? A neighbor's home and the Air Force Thunderbirds performing at the 2018 Melbourne Air and Space Show.
FLORIDA TODAY

Can you spot the SpaceX rocket? During a "test launch" of the 321 LAUNCH app by USA TODAY and FLORIDA TODAY, the SpaceX rocket launches past monitors in the FLORIDA TODAY newsroom.
JENNIFER SANGALANG/FLORIDA TODAY

Can you spot the rocket in this mural at the Eau Gallie Public Library in Melbourne? Using AR technology, the 321 LAUNCH app lets the user "launch" an animated SpaceX rocket in
a creative way.
JENNIFER SANGALANG/FLORIDA TODAY

Using AR technology, the 321 LAUNCH app lets the user "launch" an animated SpaceX rocket in
a creative way. This is the SpaceX rocket launching inside the Eau Gallie Public Library in Melbourne.
JENNIFER SANGALANG/FLORIDA TODAY

Using AR technology, the 321 LAUNCH app lets the user "launch" an animated SpaceX rocket in
a creative way. The SpaceX rocket launches over the Indian River in Melbourne.
JENNIFER SANGALANG/FLORIDA TODAY

Shown is the 321 LAUNCH app, an app presented by USA TODAY and FLORIDA TODAY that uses augmented reality to match an AR rocket with an actual rocket in real-time. The app also simulates rocket launches.
USA TODAY/FLORIDA TODAY

Using AR technology, the 321 LAUNCH app lets the user "launch" an animated SpaceX rocket in
a creative way. But that's just one of the cool perks from the app developed by USA TODAY and
FLORIDA TODAY: It also launches in real time with a live rocket launch.
JENNIFER SANGALANG/FLORIDA TODAY

Using AR technology, the 321 LAUNCH app lets the user "launch" an animated SpaceX rocket in
a creative way. The rocket is about to launch (can you see it?) in front of a mural in the Eau Gallie Arts District.
JENNIFER SANGALANG/FLORIDA TODAY

Using AR technology, the 321 LAUNCH app lets the user "launch" an animated SpaceX rocket in
a creative way. This is a window view of the SpaceX rocket launching at the Eau Gallie Public Library in Melbourne.
JENNIFER SANGALANG/FLORIDA TODAY

Using AR technology, the 321 LAUNCH app lets the user "launch" an animated SpaceX rocket in
a creative way. The SpaceX rocket launches over the Indian River in Melbourne.
JENNIFER SANGALANG/FLORIDA TODAY

Using AR technology, the 321 LAUNCH app lets the user "launch" an animated SpaceX rocket in
a creative way. Here's the rocket launching over the Indian River in Melbourne.
JENNIFER SANGALANG/FLORIDA TODAY

In 2016, Ray Soto, creative lead of applied technologies for the USA TODAY Network, brought several VR headsets to the One Nation: American Innovation event presented by FLORIDA TODAY and USA TODAY Network and sponsored by Harris Corp. Soto is one of the developers of 321 LAUNCH.
JENNIFER SANGALANG/FLORIDA TODAY

In 2016, USA TODAY NETWORK's Ray Soto, left, and Mackenzie Warren talked about innovation during One Nation: American Innovation. Soto is one of the developers of the 321 LAUNCH app.
Craig Bailey/FLORIDA TODAY

How it came to be

The app is the result of months of development and testing by the USA TODAY NETWORK’s Emerging Technologies team and FLORIDA TODAY.

“Rocket launches are perfect for AR,” said Annette Ney Meade, innovation director at the USA TODAY NETWORK’s Innovation Lab, who coordinated the project.

“Even if you are lucky enough to watch a live launch in person, you will still never get very close to the rocket. This experience lets you get as close as you like to an exact model of the rocket at the very moment that the actual rocket lifts off for space,” she said.

Download it, share your experiences with friends and relatives, and brag about it on your social networks. We think it is going to create a whole new way of looking at America’s space program, and we are just at the starting gate for what the app can accomplish.

“For those of us who live on the Space Coast, 321 LAUNCH gives us a new perspective,” said FLORIDA TODAY’s news director, Mara Bellaby, who envisioned the app and led our team’s effort. “It’s one thing to walk out into your backyard or head over to the beach for a launch — and that’s always going to be amazing. But now you can also experience the excitement of a 3D rocket right in front of you that’s in perfect sync with the real one as it prepares for liftoff and blasts into the sky.”

We hope Space Coast residents will share in our excitement and tell their friends, relatives and potential visitors about 321 LAUNCH. Let them know that they can now watch the launch with you in real time. And it’s a new way for snowbirds to take part of the Space Coast with them when they are away.

Fun things the app can do

Part of what makes the experience so real is that it is, well, real. Veteran journalists who regularly direct coverage and report on space were involved in every step of the development of the app.

But I don’t want you to get the wrong impression. While the app definitely has an undeniable cool factor, it’s not a game or a toy. It is meant to be a fun way to experience a rocket launch and to enhance our space coverage. We hope it also gives people another reason to get excited about America’s space efforts.

Members of the Emerging Technologies team visited the Space Coast to capture the feel and sound of a launch, but they came away with much more.

“I’ll never forget our first visit to KSC to gather information that would guide the creation of our app,” said Ray Soto, director of Emerging Technologies. “My team and I left inspired by the rich history and passion of the Space Coast. AR technology lets us bring the thrill of a launch into your own home for an unforgettable experience. You aren’t just watching, you’re there!”

Are you ready for this AR app?

The app gives you two choices: a "live mission" function for use during actual launches and a "launch simulation" function that allows students and teachers to learn about launches by building and launching 3D rockets.

“If you try the 'launch simulation,' you can launch a rocket on demand," Bellaby said. "Space reporter Emre Kelly talks you through the process so not only is it fun – but you’ll learn something, too. When it blasts off, you’ll hear the roar and see the fire. It’s almost like being there. We hope the whole experience encourages more people to pay attention to what’s happening at KSC and the Cape.”

And it is just a start. We have plans not only to add other rockets, but also to integrate additional technology and features.

It only makes sense that this amazing augmented reality rocket app was launched here, on America’s Space Coast.

Gabordi is executive editor at FLORIDA TODAY. His direct dial number is 321-242-3607 and cell phone is 850-591-2229. He is @bgabordi on Twitter and /bgabordi on Facebook. You can also find him on LinkedIn. His email address is bgabordi@floridatoday.com.

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Send me your 321 LAUNCH pics

Thanks to the 321 LAUNCH app, I "launched" a rocket from my kitchen, my office, from the pool, at the air show and at a baseball game. Now I want to see where you can launch a rocket using this app. It'll be available in the App Store and Google Play store at noon March 29, 2018. Download it, use it, take a screengrab and show me what you've done. We'll publish the best #321LAUNCH pics on our social networks and on our website.